State legislators and governors from Wisconsin and Ohio are teaming up to tackle changes that will affect the country at a state level under President Donald Trump’s administration.
State Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, met with Ohio’s Assembly Speaker Cliff Rosenberger and other lawmakers from both states in Ohio Thursday to discuss how the federal government will interact with state governments.
Among other states, Ohio and Wisconsin have recently created legislative committees to address the upcoming changes to national and state governments under Trump’s administration.
The two leaders said they hope that other states will join their efforts.
Vos said topics of concern include how they will react to the repeal of the federal health care law and changes in how federal money is delivered to the states, according to the Associated Press.
Vos also said he hopes this will be a cohesive effort with support from both states' governing bodies and legislative leaders as well as the National Conference of State Legislatures, a national bipartisan organization that helps the state remain strong and independent.
The effort’s slogan to gain other states support nation-wide is “nobody is in this alone.”
State Republican leaders hope that Trump’s administration will divert power over issues such as health care, education and transportation to the states to manage.
Gov. Scott Walker spoke at a Conservative Political Action Conference meeting in Washington Thursday, where he said the Environmental Protection Agency should be managed at a state level.
Last month, Trump froze all EPA grants and contracts. The freeze could affect millions of research dollars at UW-Madison.
Natasha Kassulke, spokeswoman for the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education, said in a statement Thursday that EPA has still not formally notified the UW System that grants were being halted.
There is bipartisan interest in getting power back to the states and states working together to accomplish that goal, according to Vos.
“There is an area where Democrats and Republicans are working together on federalism,” Vos said. “Democrats concerned about Donald Trump want more power back in the states.”
